Budweiser Shootout

victory in the Budweiser Shootout through Denny Hamlin's win in the season finale at Homestead, the 2009 season belonged to Jimmie Johnson. Now a four-time Cup Series champion, Johnson wrapped up his fourth consecutive title with another 10-race Chase run into the record books.

However, there were many other storylines that made headlines this year -- the economy and its effect on a sponsor-driven sport, Jeremy Mayfield's suspension following a failed drug test and the subsequent legal filings, Danica Patrick's seemingly never ending "talks" with team owners, not to mention the Hall of Fame as well as the on-track competition.

NAS-CAR.COM's staff writers weigh in with their top stories of the year: Sponsorship was priceless in '09. Sponsorship was priceless in '09.

MARK AUMANN The economic slowdown affected every facet of the sport in 2009, and may continue to do so in the near future.

Two of the sport's manufacturers -- Chevrolet and Chrysler -- faced bankruptcy and throttled back their monetary and engineering assistance. Major corporations cut back or eliminated their sponsorships altogether. Several teams merged or shuttered their operations, and in the process, laid off hundreds of employees. Others went the "start and park" route in an effort to limit expenses and maximize revenues.

The drop in attendance, close to 10 percent from 2008 estimates, was partially blamed on the recession, as fans had more difficult choices to make with their increasingly limited disposable income. Many members of the media found themselves facing the same situation as declining advertising revenue required downsizing. And even though the forecast is rosier for the foreseeable future, there's no guarantee NASCAR will return to its halcyon days any time soon.

ALL-STAR: Keselowski Poised To Break Out? - Fox News

Sportsnet.ca

ALL-STAR: Keselowski Poised To Break Out? Fox News Tonight's Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is one of NASCAR's biggest nights, an event that shines a bright spotlight on raw speed, aggressiveness and drivers willing to take risks. For some drivers, winning the All-Star event can put ... NASCAR All-Star Race 2012: Start Time, Starting Lineup, TV/Radio Schedule And MoreSB Nation Kyle Busch snags All-Star Race pole, eyes first segment winUSA TODAY NASCAR Notebook: Earnhardt looks to drive his way into All-Star raceFlorida Times-Union SI.com -FOXSports.com -San Jose Mercury News all 566 news articles »

CUP: Kurt Busch Explains His Stance On Newman - Fox News

WBUR

CUP: Kurt Busch Explains His Stance On Newman Fox News Kurt Busch felt NASCAR's wrath once again this week – and it wasn't entirely undeserved. Check out the drivers locked into the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race Busch was penalized $50000 and placed on probation until July 25 for “actions detrimental to ... Kurt Busch annoyed at attention over Newman feud as NASCAR heads into All-Star ...Washington Post NASCAR's Kurt Busch Turns Up The HeatWBUR NASCAR Notebook: Kurt Busch takes umbrage at Newman's post-Darlington commentsSuperior Telegram The Huntsville Times - al.com all 279 news articles »

NASCAR forms partnership with Twitter - CBSSports.com (blog)

MyFox Philadelphia

NASCAR forms partnership with Twitter CBSSports.com (blog) By Pete Pistone | NASCAR Blogger NASCAR and Twitter have created a relationship that will bring enhanced coverage of the sport to fans through social media. The new partnership will include a race day initiative that will give fans a complementary ... NASCAR becomes 1st sports organization to partner with Twitter for live event ...Washington Post Twitter Announces NASCAR Partnership; More Deals to Come?Mashable NASCAR, Twitter Announce New Partnership To Enhance Fan ExperienceSB Nation all 140 news articles »

Nascar Exhibit Looks Back at 'Good Old Days' of Racing - Wall Street Journal (blog)

Wall Street Journal

Nascar Exhibit Looks Back at 'Good Old Days' of Racing Wall Street Journal (blog) By Jonathan Welsh Nascar holds its annual All-Star Race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Saturday night. Tailor-made for television in 1985, it's one of the events that brought Nascar into the mainstream. So it's timely that the Nascar Hall of Fame, ... The thrill of NASCAR with automatic transmissionOCRegister 24 finalists named for induction into International Motorsports Hall of FamePress-Register - al.com all 6 news articles »

Wallace set to make NASCAR debut in Iowa - Fox News

Wallace set to make NASCAR debut in Iowa Fox News NEWTON, Iowa – Darrell Wallace Jr. has already crossed off a bunch of boxes on the checklist for a future NASCAR star. He dominated as a kid in karts, blew past the field in bandoleros and late models, and landed a seat for Sunday's NASCAR Nationwide ... and more »